The Time of Destiny

Abraxan

Story Summary:
Complete. Sequel to "The Refiner's Fire." Harry's Seventh Year, complete with adventure, training, snogging, hospital visits, etc. Watch for ficlets to be added from time to time to fill in missing scenes in the epilogue. Canon-based through OotP. HP/GW, RW/HG, RL/NT

Chapter 03

Chapter Summary:
Harry fights to control his temper. Things change at Privet Drive. Harry and Ron start their summer jobs.
Posted:
07/31/2005
Hits:
8,194
Author's Note:
Before you lot start yelling at me, my Brit-picker tells me “Rumania” is the proper spelling in England and Europe, although it’s “Romania” here in the USA, and some Brits spell it that way as well. So that’s the way it’s spelled in both “Refiner’s” and “Destiny.” Many thanks to my wonderful Brit-picker, Kelpie, and my beta readers, Starfox, Blakevich, Iris and Asad!


Chapter 3 - Hairy Harry and the Beetles

Harry stormed over the hill and into the valley beyond, stopping just at the edge of the woods that bordered the Weasley property. He stood there panting, not knowing what he wanted to do, just that he'd needed to get away before he hurt someone.

Ron, whose long legs had let him easily pass both girls as they ran after Harry, came up behind him. "All right, there, Harry?" he said, bending over with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"No!" Harry snapped. "How can I be? How weird was that, for her to think I was my dad? For her to say she loved my dad? All the crap I've been through all these years was because of her fancying him! And she was going to kiss me!" He shuddered at the thought of how near a thing it had been. He'd seen the passion in her eyes and felt her breath on his lips, the pressure of her hands on the back of his neck pulling him to her. "Ugh. I need a shower. I need to bathe in some horribly caustic cleanser to feel clean again - or better yet, use it as mouthwash! Bloody hell!" Rubbing his hand roughly over his mouth, he tried to eradicate the feeling of her breath on his lips as he tramped around, not really pacing, more stamping his feet into the ground hard as he walked restlessly back and forth. "How gross was that? Eauw!"

"Grossed me out, for sure," Ron replied sympathetically. "Pretty awful stuff, if you ask me." He could sense his friend's temper simmering just below the boiling point. "Going to blow off some steam, mate?"

"Wish I could. I don't want to damage your parents' property," Harry said, doing his best to fight down the rage simmering within him.

Just then, Ginny and Hermione finally caught up with them.

"Harry! Are you all right?" Ginny cried, rushing to him and wrapping her arms around him.

"Please go away, Ginny. It's not safe to be near me right now," he said, trying to disentangle himself from her gently.

"Harry, she's mentally disturbed. I've read about such things in. . ." Hermione began.

"STOP IT!" Harry cried, shoving Ginny away from him and sitting down hard, his hands over his ears, his face on his knees, his whole body vibrating with tension. "Just stop it! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to think about it! Just leave me alone!" Ginny got up from where she'd fallen, went to him and started gently rubbing his back, trying to comfort him.

Ron and Hermione stood gazing at him uncertainly. Ron reached out and pulled Ginny away from Harry, whose trembling was becoming more violent.

"He's gonna blow," Ron said nervously. "We need to get away, put a shield over ourselves. Hurry!"

"NO!" Ginny cried, wrenching her arm out of her brother's grip and running to her boyfriend's side again. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly, her cheek resting on the back of his bowed head.

Harry crossed his arms over his head as if fearing a blow. His face was on his knees, his body bound up in an agony beyond their comprehension. He was so focused on his pain that he barely noticed Ginny was there. Suddenly, she wriggled under his arms and into his lap, burrowing a place for herself between his chest and his legs. She pushed his head up a bit, laced her fingers in his hair and rubbed his forehead with her thumbs, trying to massage away his scowl.

"Didn't I tell you to go away?" he growled, both furious and scared of his rage. "What does it take to get through to you? You're in danger here! I can't control it!"

"Yes, you can. I know you won't hurt me. Stop pushing people away when they're trying to help you," she said seriously.

"I don't want to hurt you!" he snapped desperately.

"You won't," she assured him in a serene voice. She slowly, gently, pulled his fingers away from his head one by one and finally got his arms unbent and wrapped around her instead. She tenderly kissed every place Petunia had kissed him, over and over.

"What are you doing?" he asked warily.

"Making it better," she said, continuing her soft kisses on his temples, his cheeks, his forehead. She removed his glasses and kissed his eyes and nose, his chin, his lips, murmuring endearments all the while. It took a long time, but she finally got him to relax a bit. "There, isn't that better?"

He sighed deeply, leaning his cheek on top of her head. "You drive me crazy, you know that? You put yourself in such danger. . . ."

"You controlled your temper beautifully. I'm so proud of you!" she said, peeping under his fringe at him. She kissed his chin. "Got your dimple."

"You can have it, and anything else you want, as long as you leave me alone when I'm that angry in the future," he grumbled.

"Nope, that won't do. If' I'd left you alone this time, you'd still be out here being grumpy. You had a right to be angry. Now it's time to get over it and move on," she said practically.

He sat up and stared at her in disbelief. "How am I supposed to move on from that? My aunt. . ."

"Is bonkers. Or probably something much worse, actually. Mum was busy hexing her when we ran over the ridge," Ginny said, a twinkle in her eye. She looked at her brother. "Did you see what Mum turned her into?"

"Nah. I was too busy trying to catch up with Harry before he hurt himself," Ron said with a shrug.

"I haven't hurt myself with my temper," Harry protested.

"Can we say 'Grimmauld Place'?" Ron teased. "Glass storm? I think you hurt yourself sodding well that time."

"Oh, well, yeah," Harry conceded, hanging his head and shaking it. "Point taken. Thanks for looking out for me."

"No problem. You do keep life interesting, y'know," Ron said with a chuckle.

"Interesting, huh? Bloody hell, I could use some boredom in my life," he replied with a hint of his crooked grin.

"Harry?" Ginny said as she ran her hands through his thick black hair. "Have you ever tried a different hairstyle?"

"You call this a style?" he joked with a snort of derisive laughter.

"Seriously, have you?"

"Like what?"

"Have you ever tried having long hair?" She was pulling his hair in various directions, smoothing parts of it, making other parts stand up straight. "Like Bill's, down your back a bit, past your collar. I bet there'd be some curl in your hair if you let it grow long enough."

"My hair is determined to stick straight out given the least opportunity," he replied, tilting his head to study her face. "I'd look like I'd stuck my finger in a light socket with it standing up in a great black halo. What are you on about?"

"Grow it for me?" she urged. "I want to see!"

"Are you simply determined to make fun of me, or is this more of your pirate stuff?" He was amused by her in spite of his still-grouchy feelings.

"Could be. It's not hard for you to do, is it? Won't you do it for me?" she pleaded.

He sighed dramatically, and then that thoughtful look crossed his face and within moments, glossy black hair cascaded in sumptuous waves down past his shoulders. "How's this?"

"Oooooo, gorgeous!" both girls squealed.

"I'd love it if my hair had waves like that," Hermione said with a sigh. "And it's so shiny and beautiful!"

"It doesn't stick up at all!" Ginny said, then added quietly, "and you don't look a thing like your dad."

"What about the fringe?" he said, intrigued in spite of himself. If it made him look less like his dad to his aunt, it was worth considering.

"Grow it to match the rest and let's see how it looks, then," Ginny replied.

Harry grew his fringe so that he now had long waves falling down each side of his face. His scar was exposed and, since it was now doubly thick and had the extra zigzag as a result of his taking the Killing Curse for Ginny in their latest battle with Voldemort, it was much more noticeable.

"Um. . .no," Ginny said carefully. "I think you need a little something over your forehead."

"Scar's that bad, huh?" he said, reading the truth in her eyes.

"It's not bad, Harry, honestly," Hermione said, tilting her head to study it seriously. "But it's less obvious with your fringe."

"OK," he said, and shortened his hair in front until he had a fringe again. "Better?"

"Yeah," Ginny said happily.

"Um, mate?" Ron said. "A suggestion?"

"What?"

"Since I've had my hair long, I've realized girls have to deal with hair in their faces a lot. So I get mine cut on a bit of an angle down the sides so it isn't long enough to blow in my face. It's either that, or wear it in a ponytail like Bill. Or you could tuck it behind your ears, but girls do that, so you might not want to. Anyway, it's your choice," he finished with a shrug.

Harry ran his hands through his hair, pulling it in front of his face and finally looking at what he'd created. Heavy, lustrous waves spilled through his fingers. "Bloody hell! I look like a girl now!" he said in disgust, starting to get the thoughtful look that meant he was changing his hair or beard.

"No! Don't shorten it!" Ginny protested.

"You're too big to look like a girl," Hermione said wisely, "too broad-shouldered, and your face is too masculine for anyone to think you're a girl."

"Especially if you have the beard too," Ginny said with an excited wriggle.

"Crikey, girl, don't do that!" Harry protested with a laugh, wrapping his arms around her to hold her motionless. She was still sitting in his lap and her wiggling was having some effects he couldn't act on right now.

Ginny giggled, knowing what she was doing was driving him mad. "Sorry, sweetheart," she said, not at all sincerely, but she did at last sit still.

"Come here, mate," Harry said to Ron, who obligingly sat down beside him. "How long is your hair, really? It curls under so much, it's hard to tell."

Ron pulled his hair out to its full length along the sides of his face and at the back.

A few moments later, Harry's hair was about the same length as Ron's on the sides, a bit longer at the back, and his pirate beard with its two grey stripes had returned as well. "How's this?" he said, glancing around at his friends.

"Brilliant!" Hermione replied excitedly. "You look a lot older, for one thing, and not much like yourself."

"Not that there's a thing wrong with looking like yourself," Ginny said supportively.

He kissed her on the nose, then turned to Ron. "What do you think?"

"You look like those rock stars I've seen on the telly at Hermione's," Ron said bracingly. "They're cool. Looks good on you, mate."

"It does, honestly," Ginny said, running her fingers through his hair and watching the waves bounce as she released them. "Your hair is absolutely beautiful, baby."

Harry snorted. "Nobody's ever said that about MY hair!"

"She's right, though," Hermione agreed. "And it looks great on you."

"It really does," Ginny insisted. "If you weren't already my boyfriend, I'd have to go after you, you're so handsome!"

Harry snorted with laughter again, gave her a squeeze and helped her get off of his lap so he could stand up. "All right, then. If you lot have finished beautifying me, let's go back. Your parents are having a party and we're missing it."

As the four friends walked back across the ridge, they could see the party had quietened down somewhat. The twins were sitting still, a rarity in itself, staring at a clump of flowers surrounded by a low garden fence. Smiles tickled their mouths from time to time, and when they glanced at each other and then back at the little clump of flowers, they chuckled and elbowed each other merrily. Remus and Tonks were off at the edge of the garden, their arms around each other and deep in conversation. Arthur was chatting with his older sons and the Grangers, and Molly was glaring at the flowers inside the little fence.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione stopped and looked at the tableau in the Burrow's front garden, wondering what had happened in their absence. Suddenly, Molly glanced up and noticed them.

"Where have you been? I've been so worried! Who's that with you? Harry? Is that you?" she asked anxiously. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm Harry," he said with a grin, glad his new look was so different. "Where's Aunt Petunia?"

"Um. . .," Molly began uneasily, "I, um, I. . ."

"Mum hexed her!" George chortled.

"Yeah! Your aunt makes great cow dung! I'm glad Mum never hexed us that way!" Fred agreed.

Harry's eyebrows disappeared behind his fringe. "You turned her into. . .cow dung?" he said in disbelief.

"Yes, and I'm not sorry!" Molly said defiantly, then instantly backed down. "Well, I will be if you're troubled by it, dear, but I thought she deserved it. I didn't want to upset you at all, but. . ."

"It's OK, Mrs. Weasley. I'm glad you haven't used that hex on me, either," Harry said, a snort of laughter escaping him. "She's so paranoid about being neat and clean, this has got to be the worst possible punishment for her. Well done!"

"What have you done with your hair, Harry? It could do with a trim," Molly said, fingering her wand hopefully.

"I don't need trims, you know that," he reminded her. "Ginny suggested it. She and Hermione thought if I looked this different, Aunt Petunia might remember that I'm me, not my dad."

"Oh! That's a good idea, actually," Molly agreed. "Well done," she said to the girls. "It looks. . .nice, Harry. Oh, your hair doesn't stick up anymore! Maybe it wanted to be long."

"Yeah, that's what Ginny said," he replied. He glanced over at the twins, who were still staring at the mound of flowers. Fred was pointing to something and George was sniggering. "What are you two up to?" he asked them as he sat down beside them.

"Watch," Fred said, pointing to the mound of flowers. "It moves." He giggled, then snorted with laughter as the mound trembled.

"What's going on?" Harry asked. "Why's it moving?"

George and Fred looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"What? Tell me, I could use a good laugh," Harry said, beginning to chuckle along with them.

"Beetles," George said.

"And flies!" Fred added cheerfully.

"They've discovered this nice fresh pile and are exploring it!" George said.

"What?" Harry replied in shock. "No way!" He leaned closer and studied the mound under the flowers. Sure enough, beetles and flies were moving into the mound. "Eauw, gross!" He watched the movement of the insects with interest for a few minutes, then sighed heavily, getting to his feet. "Um, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Yes, dear?" Molly said, looking up from picking up the dirty dishes after their meal.

"Is my aunt going to remember this experience?"

"Oh, yes!" she said with tremendous satisfaction. "That's one of the wonderful things about this hex. The person is fully aware of what goes on while he's in this state. Ginny did a similar thing to Dudley when she turned him into a jelly at their house. He remembered everything, didn't he?"

"Yes," Harry replied thoughtfully. He looked at the mound topped with petunias, their pretty colours disguising the disgusting mass beneath them. "Um. . .I'm in favour of her being punished, and I think what you did is quite brilliant, actually. . .but there are beetles and flies in there now. She hates insects. They'll drive her mad. Of course, she's not too fond of dung, either. . . ." He snorted with laughter in spite of himself.

"I suppose she's been punished for long enough," Molly said with a sigh, then leaned toward the mound and said sternly, "FOR NOW!" With a wave of Molly's wand, Petunia Dursley appeared with a mass of petunias on top of her head.

"Boys!" Molly called warningly to the twins, her eyes snapping. Petunia's reappearance seemed to have triggered Molly's temper again.

"Oh, all right," Fred said resignedly, and Vanished the flowers from Petunia's head.

Petunia stood there trembling horribly, her face ghastly white, her nostrils pinched with tension, her eyes bugging out of her head. That was nothing to the expression that appeared when a beetle made its leisurely way out of hiding in her hair. It dangled above her eyebrow, its feet still tangled in her hair, and seemed to wave "hello" right in Petunia's eye.

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed, swiping madly at her face to rid herself of the bug.

The Weasley children stood around her laughing their heads off. Remus, Tonks and Arthur chuckled in spite of their best attempts to avoid it. Even Molly's mouth twitched a bit, threatening to smile despite her still-raging temper.

Harry stood uncertainly, sorely tempted to laugh but concerned about what his aunt was going to do in retaliation once she was home. Then again, with Remus and Tonks there, she wasn't likely to get very far in any form of revenge against him. With that comforting thought, a snort of laughter escaped him at last.

Hermione had both hands held nervously over her mouth, her eyes huge. Her parents were wide-eyed but began giggling just after Harry started laughing.

A grinning Tonks finally came to Petunia's rescue. "C'mon then, dearie, let's get you cleaned up," she said, putting her arm companionably around the older woman's shoulders and trying to lead her toward the house.

Petunia dug in her heels. "No. Um. . .no thank you," she said timorously. She glanced at Tonks, then took the younger woman's arm off of her shoulders, touching Tonks's hand as if it were filthy, then actually wiping her hands off on her trousers. Petunia stepped away from the young witch and gave the rest of the gathering a withering look as she ran trembling hands through her hair, rummaging around until she had all the bugs displaced. She shuddered violently all over, then ran her finger around the collar of her shirt to be sure no bugs were still dallying there, and brushed off the rest of her clothing after that. Deciding she was now insect-free, she shook back her hair and straightened her shoulders, doing her best to regain her dignity.

"If you don't mind," she said as regally as possible to Tonks, "I believe I'm ready to go home now."

"Right, then," Tonks said cheerily. "Go on and get in the car. I'll be right there."

Petunia made her way shakily to the car door and managed to get into the back seat. She found her pocketbook and opened it, taking a tissue out and dabbing at her face and neck as if she were dirty. She stared straight ahead the whole time, trembling violently all the while, her mouth a thin white line.

"Is she going to be all right?" Hermione asked Molly in concern.

Everything about Petunia's attitude and actions rubbed Molly the wrong way, on top of her miserable behaviour toward Harry earlier. Thinking he was James, indeed! And treating him dreadfully all of his life because she was still jealous of her dead sister! Molly was positively livid with that. . .that Muggle! "Yes, that barmy bitch will be just fine once she realizes she's actually clean," she spat.

"Molly, dear," Arthur reproved her gently. "Language. The children. . ."

"The children are adults, as I keep being reminded by all of them, and have probably heard much worse," she snapped. She managed to slow her breathing a bit and turned to Harry. "Harry, dear, are you quite all right? It's been a bit of a rough afternoon for you."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, smiling at her with genuine affection.

"Well, I'm afraid I haven't done much to improve wizard-Muggle relations today," Molly said apologetically, "nor have I been a good example to you children. I'm sorry."

"You've done nothing to be sorry for, Mrs. Weasley," Harry assured her. "You were brilliant. I hope you'll teach me that hex - I know a few people who deserve it!"

Remus and Tonks had been conferring near the car. Remus looked up at Harry. "Are you coming with us? I don't want Tonks to have to drive back alone."

"D'you mind if I Apparate back later?"

"You're still not well, Harry. If you feel the least bit tired, use the Floo Network, don't Apparate," Remus warned him. "I mean it - don't do it if you're the least bit tired. You don't want to splinch yourself."

"All right," Harry agreed.

"We'll make sure of it!" Molly promised. "Thanks for coming. Sorry you won't get to see the fireworks. I'm sure the twins have put together an exciting show."

"Probably not as exciting as the one we saw here this afternoon," Fred said, elbowing his twin, who giggled along with him.

"Thanks for having us," Remus said, getting in the front seat with Tonks. "See you!"

Everyone stood waving goodbye as the car drove away in a cloud of dust. They saw Remus's hand waving out of the window as the car rounded the last turn visible from the front garden.

"Well, THAT was fun!" George chortled, clapping his twin on the shoulder and turning toward the boxes they'd brought with them from their shop. "Now let's have some more!"

"Boys!" Molly chided them. "Come here. We need to have a family council."

Harry glanced around at the Weasleys, then started to move away from them, since he wasn't really a part of the family.

"That means you, too, Harry, Hermione," Molly insisted. He moved closer, standing uneasily between Ginny and Hermione. Once her brood was gathered around her, Molly said, "What happened here today was disgraceful. We should be ashamed of ourselves." She looked at all of them sternly. "Especially me." She crossed her arms over her ample bosom and glared at all of them. "I hope I never see such behaviour out of Weasleys again!" she snapped. "Especially me," she added in a grumbling undertone.

"Mrs. Weasley, may I say something?" Harry offered hesitantly.

"Of course, Harry, dear," she said graciously.

"I think you lot are brilliant. Thank you for standing up for me. Thank you for turning her into a cowpat - that was a wonderfully appropriate thing to do, I think. If anyone should be ashamed, it's me, for letting her come."

"Oh, no, dear, we insisted she come!" Molly began.

"How about this?" Arthur interrupted. "We all agree there was a hitch in this afternoon's festivities, and we get back to enjoying ourselves?"

There was general agreement to that, although Fred and George could be heard muttering that they still wanted to learn that Cow Dung Hex, but they doubted their mother would teach it to them, now that she felt guilty for what she'd done.

The rest of the evening went beautifully. The twins' fireworks were a huge hit with everyone. Before he knew it, Harry had to tell his friends goodbye and go back to Privet Drive.

"It was a brilliant party, Mrs. Weasley," he said, leaning down and hugging her. "Thank you so much!"

"Oh, bless you, dear, it was our pleasure!" she said, patting his cheek and pulling him down into another hug. "Do forgive me for my rudeness to your aunt. I hope she doesn't take it out on you, what I did to her," she said, pulling back to look at him with worried eyes.

"If she gives me a hard time, Remus and Tonks will sort her out, don't worry," Harry assured her.

Molly pulled him down again, holding him tightly. "You are such a sweet boy, Harry. I do love you so." She kissed him on the cheek and finally released him, both of them blushing. "And you're quite handsome with your new look." She fiddled with his hair a bit before finally backing away from him.

"Oh, Mum, give over!" Ron said, "You're embarrassing him!"

"Actually, I enjoy it when she fusses over me like that," Harry said with a fond smile at Molly, who blushed again in return.

"Harry, we could give you a lift home, if you'd like," Mr. Granger offered.

"Thanks! That's very kind of you, but Surrey is out of your way, and I can Apparate with no problem," Harry said with a smile. "I'm glad you were able to come to the party."

"It was our pleasure," Mr. Granger said sincerely. "We don't often have the chance to visit in wizard homes, so this has been quite an adventure for us."

"I hope your aunt won't bother you any more," Mrs. Granger said, her brow furrowed in concern.

"With Remus and Tonks around, she's behaving much better than usual," Harry replied. "It was nice to see both of you again."

"Lovely to see you, as well," Mrs. Granger said sincerely. She and her husband finished their goodbyes and went to the car, where they waited for Hermione to kiss Ron goodbye. When the couple finally parted, Hermione got into the car and the Grangers drove away while everyone waved.

Fred sidled over to Harry before Harry could embrace Ginny to kiss her goodbye. "Oy, Harry, before you go, could we have a word?"

"Sure! What's up?" he asked. "The fireworks were brilliant! Thanks so much!"

"Our pleasure!" George replied. "We'd like to ask you something."

"Yeah," Fred agreed, putting his arm over Harry's shoulders and leading him away from the rest of the family.

"What are you doing over the holidays?" they asked together. "We'd like you to work for us."

"What do you mean?"

"To work in our shop, of course!" Fred said cheerfully.

"Really? That's brilliant! I'd love to!" Harry said excitedly.

"Ron's going to work for us too," George told him. "We used up so much of our stock in that battle, and we have loads of orders, and this big Ministry contract to fill . . ."

"So we need to manufacture the stuff as quickly as possible," Fred finished for him.

"That's where you come in," they said together.

"Me? What do you mean?" Harry replied, confused.

"We heard about your little episode in Potions," Fred began.

"When you speeded up a two hour process and got finished in forty minutes," George continued.

"That kind of thing would do wonders for us," Fred concluded.

"I don't know exactly how I did it," Harry began.

"Just come to the shop as soon as you're allowed out and we'll go from there," George replied, slapping him on the back.

"We trust you to figure it out as you go along," Fred added.

"I might be able to come as soon as Monday, as long as there's no heavy lifting involved," Harry said eagerly.

"Heavy lifting is for labourers - and Levitation Charms," Fred said with a grin. "You're a specialist, not manual labour! See you Monday then!"

"Yeah! See you!" Harry replied with a happy grin.

"So you're going to work in the family business, are you?" Ginny said, wrapping her arms around his waist as he came to kiss her goodbye.

"You knew?"

"Everybody did but Percy, I think. The twins couldn't keep it quiet. Mum's going to be livid if they take advantage of your powers. That's what they'd like to do," she explained.

"I'm happy to help out, and it will be great to be working in Diagon Alley, seeing them and Ron every day. Are you going to work there too?"

"Mum needs me to help her with some things here, and she gets lonely with everyone gone," Ginny said quietly. "But yeah, I'll be there on Saturdays! That's the busiest day in the shop, and they said I could help on the counter. I think that will be great fun!"

"And it will make it easier for us to get together for dates, too," he said, holding her close and kissing the top of her head. "I miss you so much."

"I'm right here, silly!" she teased, smiling up at him.

"Yeah, but I'll be leaving in a few minutes and won't see you for a whole week!" he said mournfully.

"Then make this kiss a good one, because it's going to have to last us a while," she said, staring at his mouth hungrily.

Harry did his best to make the kiss one she'd remember for a long time. He knew he'd remember it, and that, when he remembered, he'd be eager for many more like it. With a final wave to his friends, he Disapparated and returned to Privet Drive.

* * * * *

When Harry Apparated into his room back at Privet Drive, he found Tonks and Remus there conferring seriously about something.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Dudley," Tonks said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"What did I miss?"

"Well, let's see," Remus said, enumerating things on his fingers. "First, your aunt disappeared into the bathroom and used all the hot water taking a long shower trying to feel clean again. Then Dudley came home from wherever he was and started to take a shower and nearly froze to death because his mum had used up the hot water. I think we damaged her a bit today. Sorry about that."

"That doesn't sound good," Harry said, confused. "How is she now?"

"Her skin's all red and raw. She used something rough to scrub herself," Tonks told him. "We tried to tell her she was perfectly clean, but she didn't believe us. And Dudley's in a right state, having walked into an ice cold shower. He ran squealing down the hall, completely starkers."

Harry snorted a bit. It sounded as if he'd missed something funny. "Why?"

"Dunno. Could've been because there were no towels or flannels left in the bathroom - your aunt took all of them into her bathroom with her. I suppose she used them all. I don't know why he didn't look for a towel before he got in the shower. He still has the remnants of his pig's tail, did you know that?" Tonks said, starting to giggle. "I don't know why he didn't put his clothes back on, but he just held them up to himself, dropping things as he ran. He looked a real sight, trying to cover his front and his back both at the same time, running soaking wet and shivering down the hall, his immense backside flapping in the breeze. The wet footprints are still there, if you want to look. Once he got back in his room, apparently he got dried off and dressed, because he was quiet for a few moments and then he went to the kitchen and started a row with your aunt. They've been going on at each other ever since."

"She's been calling him everything evil under the sun, and he honestly hasn't done anything wrong, as far as we know," Remus said, a line of worry appearing between his eyebrows. "The oddest thing is, she's comparing him to you, and not favourably."

"What do you mean?"

"All those things she said to you at the Weasleys'? She's repeating them here, saying how wonderful you are and what a disappointment Dudley is," Remus replied.

"You're kidding, right?" Harry said, completely confused. "She wouldn't do that."

"That's what she's doing right now, lad," Remus assured him. "Go to the kitchen door and listen, if you want."

"Erm, no. I think I'll let them work this out between them. The farther away I stay from all the Dursleys, the better," Harry said quietly.

"You're probably right. But you should have seen your cousin's wobbly bits jouncing down the hall, with a wee bit of a tail sticking out between his cheeks!" Tonks said, laughing heartily now. "Oh my, what a sight!"


Harry snorted and laughed in spite of himself. "I can just imagine. How awful! I hope it hasn't ruined you for life or anything, to see such a horrible thing!"

"Nah! But I will file it under 'memories I'd almost rather forget'!" she teased. "Now, if you or Remus wants to run starkers down the hall, I'll be sure to enjoy THAT show!"

"Um. . .no thanks," Harry replied with a grin. "I'll leave that kind of floor show to Dudley."

"Ah well, a girl has to try, doesn't she?" she said with a cheeky grin.

* * * * *

Uncle Vernon didn't seem to be making much progress. The doctors wanted to keep him several more days at least before releasing him. Every few hours, anything at all could set his temper off and he was in danger of undoing all the good his surgery had done.

Number Four, Privet Drive, was quieter than it had been any time since baby Harry had been found on their doorstep. Once their row ended, Petunia and Dudley did their best to stay away from the wizards and each other, and the wizards did their best to mind their manners around the Muggles. A quiet, uneasy peace reigned.

On Monday morning, Harry set off bright and early for Diagon Alley. The twins had told him to Apparate to the street right in front of Ollivander's, and then he'd only be two doors down from their shop. He arrived, work robes slung over his shoulder, a huge happy grin on his face, eager to get to work.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter!" Mr. Ollivander called cheerfully from the door of his shop. "I like your new look. It's rather distinguished. I almost didn't recognize you."

"That's the idea," Harry said with a cheeky grin. "I get tired of being me sometimes, y'know?"

"I do understand. I'll keep your secret!" the old wandmaker agreed. "I read about the battles you were in. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you, how much I appreciate your courage. Well done, young man. Thank you for what you've done for our world."

Harry shuffled his feet uneasily, not comfortable at all with this turn of the conversation.

Ollivander clasped the boy's shoulder in one wrinkled, long-fingered hand. "I do understand, you know. War is never easy. I'm sorry about the friends you lost."

"Thank you," Harry said quietly.

The wandmaker patted the boy's shoulder kindly, his face crinkled in a warm smile. "I knew we could expect great things from you, my boy. And you have done them, many great things. But there are even greater things in your future. When you have time, I'd like to talk to you about that."

"About what?"

"How is your wand doing?" Ollivander said, coming closer to Harry and speaking more quietly.

The sudden change in subject threw Harry for only a moment. Just answer what he's asking, that's probably the safest thing to do, he thought. "It's great! I'm very happy with my wand."

"No malfunctions, no hesitations, no shaking, nothing like that?"

"Nope, it's fine. Why?"

The man leaned close to Harry and murmured in his ear, "I've had a conversation with your headmaster. I need to speak to you as a result. Come and see me when you have a few moments free, all right?"

Harry looked at him in surprise. "Yes, fine. Will lunch time do? Or after work? I'm starting work with the Weasleys today, at their joke shop." He pointed two shops down to the doorway of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes.

"Either time will be fine. I'll need five to ten minutes of your time, that's all. If it's convenient for you, of course," Mr. Ollivander said graciously.

"OK. I'll see you later, then," Harry replied, waving as he walked on toward the Weasleys' shop. Now what's he on about? he wondered.

"HARRY! Great to see you!" Fred greeted him when he walked into the shop.

"Simply spiffing! Glad to have you on our team," George concurred.

"Hi, guys! The shop looks fantastic!" Harry enthused. He hadn't been to their shop since they'd opened it. The walls were covered, floor to ceiling, with shelves, glass cases, and large displays filled with a huge variety of joke supplies. Glittery signs that changed colours and font styles as well as messages, extolled the virtues of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes joke products over any other kind, and described some of the products in florid detail. There was everything from Skiving Snackboxes to Neverending Fireworks to Transfiguration Tasties - "Amaze Your Friends!" - which would give the person who ate them some of the characteristics of a wide variety of animals or fantastic beasts (non-dangerous varieties only) for up to five minutes.

Harry browsed for a few moments, amazed by the vast variety of things the twins had created. "Wow! I haven't seen some of these before. You guys have been busy!"

"Too right, we have!" Fred agreed.

"Which is why you're here!" said George.

"We need help getting more of these products made, as well as creating new things. We have loads of ideas, but not enough time to do all the work ourselves," Fred explained as they led him to the workroom at the back of the shop. The workroom held a number of long tables with a variety of workstations scattered around, as well. About a dozen people were hard at work slicing ingredients carefully, mixing or stirring various potions, or waving their wands over some mixture or other. Everyone seemed to be working on something different. The twins explained their setup to Harry as they showed him around.

"Hey, Ron!" Harry said in delight, seeing his best mate hard at work dicing daisy roots. "Good to see you, mate!"

"Hi, Harry! What do you think of the place?" Ron said, grinning at his friend.

"I think it's brilliant!" Harry enthused.

"What are you going to get Harry to work on?" Ron asked his brothers.

"We're still sorting that out," George said. "We need to confer with our new colleague a bit before we decide where to put him."

"Put him with me!" Ron suggested eagerly. "We're used to working together!"

"We know that, little brother," Fred assured him, patting Ron paternally on the back.

"So, Harry," George said conspiratorially as they finished the "grand tour" of the facilities, "do you have any ideas on how to speed up our production?"

"You mean with my magic?" Harry asked quietly, looking around the workroom.

"Yeah!" the twins said together.

Harry was lost in thought for a few minutes as he studied the setup of the various workstations. "Actually, I do have an idea, but it's a Muggle thing, not magic."

"A Muggle thing?" Fred said.

"Would it be faster than your magic?" George asked.

"I think so. I mean, I'm only one person, and when I'm not here, production will slow down again, right? Unless I can work out a spell to keep it going without me being here, of course," Harry said, scratching his head in thought. "Hmmm. Nope, I honestly think this Muggle setup will be a big help to you." He looked up at the twins. "Have you ever heard of an assembly line?"

"No," said Fred.

"What's that?" said George.

"It's where. . .um. . .a conveyor belt of some kind moves a piece of what you're making past a lot of workers. As the piece moves past each worker, that worker does one thing to that piece, adding to it at each station until you have a completed thing, whatever it is you're manufacturing. Each worker does the same thing over and over for lots of parts - that's part of what makes this method of manufacturing things go faster. At the end of the conveyor belt, you have a finished product," Harry explained, hoping his explanation was at least somewhat clear.

"What's a conveyor belt?" said George.

"I don't get it," said Fred.

Harry considered how best to explain what he hand in mind, then an idea hit him. "Tell you what. It's better if you see one in action. Then you'll understand."

"Brilliant!" said the twins together.

"My uncle's drill company has an assembly line, and they give tours on Tuesdays at 10 AM - or they did when I was at primary school. I could ring them and see if they still do tours, and get us on one. Then you'd understand," Harry offered.

"A tour of a Muggle business?" Fred said, a gleam of excitement in his eye.

"Does it run on ekeltricity?" George asked, stumbling over the Muggle word.

"Yeah, I think so. We'd have to modify it somehow, give it power without electricity, but I don't see a huge problem there," Harry said, getting more excited about his idea. "I can actually see how to do that kind of magic," he explained, "so it will run whether I'm here or not. I can't see how to speed things up otherwise so that things will keep running when I'm back at Hogwarts."


"You know," Fred said, looking at George seriously.

"Dad would love to see this," they said together, grinning madly.

"Right then, Harry," George said, "can you arrange for us to go, then? Tomorrow? We'll see if Dad can come along too."

"And me!" Ron said, having heard some of the conversation as he passed them on the way to the storage room for more ingredients for his potion.

"And you, little bro," Fred assured him. "Can you do it?" he asked Harry.

"I don't know the phone number, so I'll have to go back home and call from there," he mused, trying to work out the best way to do things. "Shall I do that? Oh wait, we should see if your dad can go tomorrow, so I can give them an accurate number of people for our group."

A short time later, having received an enthusiastic "Of course!" from Arthur when he was invited on the tour, Harry was back at Privet Drive.

"Aunt Petunia! I'm back for a bit," he called. Hearing no response, he went to the kitchen, found the number he needed in the phone book, and called his uncle's company. Arrangements were soon made for their group to join the next day's tour.

As he hung up the phone, Harry heard an odd sound upstairs. What's that? he wondered as he took the stairs two at a time. Some kind of keening sound was coming from his room. Did he have an unhappy house elf waiting for him? Was Merlin all right? He threw open his door and found his aunt sitting on his bed, the framed picture of his parents dancing in the falling leaves resting against her chest, the photo album Hagrid had given him in her hands, opened to a picture of his dad holding baby Harry. His aunt was wailing, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"James! Oh, James, how could you do this to me?" she moaned.

The young wizard's temper flared. "What the sodding hell do you think you're doing? Put those down, they're MINE!" he snarled, snatching the book from her hands and trying to get the framed photo as well. She held on to it tightly, clutching it to her bosom. "Give that to me," Harry snapped. "What are you doing in here?"

"I . . . I needed to clean in here," she began hesitantly.

"LIAR! You have never once cleaned in here since I got this room," he growled. "Not even while I was away at school. Get OUT"

"The truth is," she said carefully, still clutching the framed photo to her breast, "I. . .I wanted to see your bird. That Weasley woman told me it was a phoenix and that Muggles rarely get to see them, so I. . ."

"And that's another lie!" Harry snarled. "You didn't come in here to see my phoenix. You came to steal my pictures!" He looked at Merlin, who looked rather agitated. "Why didn't you come and get me?" he asked the bird.


Merlin crooned something back at him.

"OK," Harry said with a sigh. "Are you all right?"

The phoenix chirruped once and then was silent, turning his steady gaze back on the distraught woman.

"Did he. . .did he actually speak to you?" Petunia asked, stunned.

"Yes. He says you came in here just as I Apparated into the house and called out to let you know I was here. If he'd thought you were going to be a danger to me, he would have warned me, or attacked you himself. I had to make a phone call. That's why I came back."

"A phone call?"

"Never mind. Just get out of here," he said, trying to control his temper. He could hear the window panes rattling and feel the floor vibrating in reaction to his building rage.

"Could. . ." she looked pleadingly up at him, "could I have one of these? Just half of one of them?"

"What?"

"I'd like a picture of James," she said simply.

"NO!" He held out his hand and the framed picture leaped out of her arms. He caught it deftly, then leafed through the pages of the album to make sure she hadn't removed any pictures. "You're sick, you are. If you had asked for a picture of Mum, I might have given it to you, but no, you will not have any pictures of my dad. You're mental!"

"What's happening? Why is the house shaking?" she said tremulously, suddenly feeling that she was in danger.

He stood there panting, doing his best to regain control of his temper, and to shake off the creepy feelings her obsession with his father gave him. "Get out, or I will throw you out," he snarled. "And don't you ever come in here again. I will hex this door so it will turn you into a toad if you touch it. The same goes for Dudley and any other Muggle who touches this door. Is that clear?" He towered over her as she sat trembling on his bed. "I said to get out. Don't make me move you myself. You'll regret it," he said in a quiet, dangerous voice.

Petunia managed to get to her feet and stumble out of the door. She turned to look at him. His eyes flashed green fire. His rage was such that his long hair was moving around his head as if in a wind, creating a flowing dark halo effect. She expected to see fire coming out of his fingertips as he pointed his hand at the door, slamming it in her face. With him now out of sight, she was able to catch her breath.

What was I thinking? she wondered as she stumbled down the hall to her own room and collapsed on the bed. What was I doing? If she was honest with herself, she knew exactly what she was doing. She'd waited deliberately until all those wizards were out of the house, then she'd opened Harry's door and glared at that huge red bird of his before starting to dig through his drawers looking for pictures. She was certain he must have some by now. She knew James and Lily had many friends and that there had been loads of photos taken of them before they died - her parents had copies of most of them, but when they died, Petunia had burned every single picture. She'd spent years denying her feelings for James Potter, but when that Dementor had started to Kiss her, it had forced her to remember the greatest horror in her life: the time she'd actually thrown herself at James Potter as he sat on the sofa in her parents house waiting for Lily to come downstairs. Petunia had never been alone with him before. She took her chance, dropped into his lap and tried to kiss him, telling him she loved him and would do anything for him. James had tried to be polite in his rejection of her, but couldn't keep himself from recoiling in shock at his girlfriend's sister acting that way. Lily hadn't let her forget that incident, giving Petunia filthy looks whenever she caught Petunia staring at him or trying to sidle up next to him, and James was equally cautious around her from then on.

That memory being forced to the surface by the Dementor's presence unlocked the door in her mind behind which she'd hidden her most precious thoughts, memories and fantasies, all of which involved James. Now she couldn't seem to get those thoughts shoved back behind the door. Harry's long hair and beard kept her from reacting to him as if he was James now, but when she thought of James, she saw Harry's face as often as James's - after all, she'd lived with Harry for sixteen years, and had only seen James a few times in her life, and that many years ago. The confusion between them was natural, now that Harry was the age James had been when she first met him.

Petunia got up and went to the bathroom, taking two aspirin and wetting a flannel with cold water. She wrung it out fiercely, then went back to her bed and lay down, the flannel over her eyes. She had to survive another two weeks with the boy here. She could manage that, surely? He would be at work most of each day now, so he wouldn't even be here to torment her. But his father's photos would be in the boy's room, just beyond her reach. What was she to do?

* * * * *

"Merlin, help me. I'm going mad here," Harry moaned, slumping on the side of his bed with his head in his hands. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair and tugged in frustration and anger, then moaned and started massaging the sides of his head and his temples. His head was pounding, and he could feel the air around him vibrating in reaction to his rage. The floor was shaking harder, the whole house creaking as magical vibrations rattled it to its foundations. Merlin flew over and sat on Harry's shoulder, crooning soothingly to him as he nuzzled the boy's hair, trying to comfort him. After a while, Harry's breathing slowed, the house stilled, the windows stopped rattling, and the boy finally let go of his hair and looked around his room.

"Did she get up to anything else?" he asked the bird, getting a short chirp as a response. "Bloody hell," he growled shortly, petting the bird as it hopped down and sat next to him on the bed. Harry got up and walked around his room, rummaging in his drawers and peeping under his bed, even taking up the loose floorboard to see if she'd found his hiding place. It appeared she hadn't, so he put his photo album in there and shoved the loose floorboard back in place, putting a hex on it so no Muggles could open it. Then he put the hex on his door that he'd promised his aunt. Any Muggle who touched his door would be turned into a horribly ugly, fat, warty toad, and only he could reverse the spell. He found himself almost, almost wishing she and Dudley would dare to touch his door. They'd get what they deserved then! Anger still coursed through his veins but it was at a more manageable level.


When he straightened up from adding the toad bit to the hex on the floorboards, the room swam before his eyes. "Oh, bugger this," Harry said, putting his face in his hands again. His headache was worse, if anything. He rubbed his face distractedly, then got up to find his non-drowsy pain potion. He took a dose and sat on the side of his bed, waiting for it to work. Merlin sat on his shoulder and crooned to him again, nuzzling the spot where Harry's skull had been fractured not that long ago.

"So did I do any damage?" he asked the bird. The sound the phoenix made in response did nothing to make Harry feel better. "Great. Now I'm stuck here again. I can't Apparate when I'm feeling as dizzy as hell and my head is splitting. I'll splinch myself." He threw himself back onto his pillow, his arm over his eyes, willing his headache to go away. The potion didn't seem to be helping.

"Harry?" a cheerful voice said near his cheek.

"Huh?" he said, startled into sitting up and looking around.

"Harry, are you there?"

He smiled a bit and pressed on the ruby in his ring, saying, "Ginny Weasley." Instantly, her merry face hovered over his ring. "Hi, baby," he murmured.

"Hi yourself, luv! Are you busy? Are you enjoying your job?" she asked eagerly.

"No, not busy. Yes, enjoying the job," he replied carefully, glad she couldn't see where he was.

"What's wrong? You don't look well," she said, her forehead furrowed in concern.

"Actually, I suppose I'm not well," he allowed. "I have a bleeding great headache. I wish you were here to soothe it away," he added wistfully.

"I thought you were better! Did Apparating get to you?"

"No, it wasn't the Apparating," he growled, his face contorting in renewed anger. "It was my stupid bitch of an aunt."

"Harry, calm down! Being angry will only make your headache worse! Was she awful about you going to work?" she asked sympathetically.

"No. I'm at Privet Drive. I came back here to call my uncle's company to arrange a tour for your brothers. I think an assembly line will speed up production in their shop, and they don't understand how it works, so I told them about the tours my uncle's company has every week. When I finished my call, I heard a noise upstairs and found Aunt Petunia in my room." He went on to tell her the rest of the story, rubbing his temples and forehead every so often as he spoke.

"Did you take your potion?"

"Yes. It doesn't seem to be helping. I was awfully angry - the whole house shook hard for a while, but I don't think I actually damaged anything." He gazed at her with sad eyes. "I wish you could Apparate. I could use one of your therapeutic hugs," he said with an attempt at his cheeky grin.

"Hang on a sec, sweetheart," Ginny said suddenly, then her face disappeared from above Harry's ring. She must have covered the ring with her other hand for her face to disappear while they were connected. A few moments later, she reappeared. "Sorry. I'm back. Mum just asked me something, that's all."

"I missed you," he said simply, his eyes sad and lost.

He heard a harsh banging downstairs. Someone was demanding the front door be opened. He heard his aunt talking with someone who shrieked at her and then thundered up the stairs. He sat up and pulled his wand, wondering what was going on.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Ginny asked, noticing the tension in his face.

"Someone just came in the house in a rage and I don't know who it is," he said tensely. "They're on their way upstairs."

Just then, the person called from the top of the stairs. "Harry? Harry, dear, are you all right?"

"Mrs. Weasley! What are you doing here?" he said in surprise as he opened the door for her.

"I'm here to see how you are, dear," she said as she shooed him back to the bed and made him sit down. "Ginny told me what happened. Those rings of yours are such a blessing! You wouldn't have told us about this if Ginny hadn't called you just now, would you? No, I'm sure you wouldn't, you sweet boy. You don't want us to worry," she said, patting his cheek. "I'll deal with that cow of an aunt of yours later," she added with a steely glint in her eye.

Harry chuckled a bit at this, but then his expression grew sad and angry again. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble."

"You're not a bit of trouble, dear, not one bit," Molly said, bending down to look in his eyes, feel his forehead, and do all the other things mothers do to check on ill children. "You're looking a bit green, did you know that?"

"Yeah. My headache's pretty bad," he admitted.

"And you took your potion?"

"Yes. It's not helping."

"Right then. I'm off to find a bowl and a flannel and get you started on the road to recovery," she said as she headed for the door.

"Wait! Be careful," Harry warned her. "I hexed the door and I'm not sure I did it right. It's one Ginny showed me. If a Muggle touches the door, they'll turn into a toad - at least, that's what's supposed to happen. But my head was banging so, I may have messed it up."

"I know that hex. Let me check it for you," she said with a smile. With a wave of her wand, she examined the hex on the door. "Hmm. Well done, except that they'll turn into an iguana instead of a toad."

"An iguana? Cool. That's even wartier. Leave it as it is then," Harry said with an amused chuckle.

As Molly swept out of the door, he turned back to his ring. "You look after me even long-distance," he said with a weary smile.

"I do my best," Ginny replied cheerily. "Mum will have you feeling better in no time."

"I'm sure she will. Thanks for sending her." A wave of nausea hit him and he put his head in his hands, moaning.

"Harry? Harry, what's wrong?" Ginny's voice called.

"I don't feel very well," he replied carefully. In truth, if he moved much at all, he was afraid he'd be sick all over the floor. "It sort of comes in waves. I'll feel better for a bit, then worse again."

"Oh, poor baby," Ginny sympathized. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too," he agreed.

Molly bustled back in, a bowl of water and a flannel in her hands. "Here we go. You'll feel better soon," she promised as she set the bowl down, dipped the flannel in and wrung it out. She wiped Harry's face with the cool flannel, then lifted his hair and put the flannel across the back of his neck. "There, there, dear, you'll feel fine in no time," she assured him.

"Feels good," he murmured, closing his eyes and leaning his head against her.


Molly wrapped her arms around him, smoothing his hair, gently massaging his temples. He was so tall, even seated, that his head reached her shoulder. She kissed the top of his head tenderly. "Poor dear lad. I'm so sorry you've had to go through all this." She rubbed his back comfortingly, then lifted his hair and turned the flannel over so the cooler side would be against his neck. "You know, I'm beginning to like your hair this long," she commented. "It looks nice on you. Such lovely loose curls," she said, running her fingers lightly through his hair as she settled it back over the flannel.

Harry relaxed against Molly's shoulder, savouring the feeling of a mother's touch. "You're so kind to me," he murmured. "Thank you."

"Ah, who wouldn't be kind to a sweet lad like you, Harry?" Molly replied, then remembered his nasty relatives who were anything but kind to him. She leaned her cheek on his hair. "I love you as if you were one of my own, dear. Don't you forget it!" She hugged him and smoothed his hair again, making him smile. She felt the tension leaving his body as her efforts began to help him. "You just relax and let me take care of you, sweet boy," she murmured. I'm going to take care of that bloody family once and for all, Molly vowed as she continued to stroke the young man's silky hair comfortingly. This kind of cruelty will never happen to him again!

Molly noticed him breathing deeply and relaxing into her shoulder. He nuzzled her neck a bit, which surprised her. "What are you doing, dear?"

He pulled back apologetically. "Smelling you. Sorry."

"Do I smell bad?" she asked, looking down at him in surprise.

"No. You smell like a mother should smell. I was just wondering what my mother smelled like, if she smelled like you." He relaxed against her and inhaled deeply again. "You smell so good."

Molly chuckled. "And what does a mother smell like, you precious boy?"

"Baking, cooking, clean laundry, a warm kitchen. . .home," he murmured contentedly. "All good smells. You smell like strawberries today."

"Ginny and I were making strawberry jam just before she called you. She smells like strawberries too, I imagine."

"She smells like strawberries a lot, and roses and fresh air. She smells good too, all the time, even when she's sweaty," he said with a chuckle. He raised his head and looked at her for a moment. "Do all women smell this good, or is it a Weasley thing?"

Molly laughed. "You are a charmer, you are," she said, gently pulling his head back onto her shoulder and kissing his forehead as he settled down again. She was touched by the sweetness of this dear boy. How could the Dursleys have treated such a lovely child so horribly all of his life?

They heard the front door open and quiet steps running up the stairs. Molly pulled her wand, but Harry remained calm, recognizing Remus's steps.

As he opened the door, Remus took in the sight of the relaxed boy against Molly's shoulder. "How is he?" he said quietly, thinking Harry must be asleep.

"Hi, Remus," Harry said, lifting his head to look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Ginny called me. Are you feeling better?"

"A little. I don't feel so green anymore, at least," he said, being careful to move slowly. "My head felt like it would explode for a while there."

Something banged on Harry's door, and then there was a loud cracking noise.

"What was that?" Remus said.

"The appearance of an iguana, I suspect," Molly said tartly.

"An iguana?" Remus asked in confusion.

"It was supposed to be a toad, but I did the hex wrong," Harry explained. "Let's see then."

Remus opened the door and there sat a large, very fat iguana, glaring at them, a half-eaten chocolate bar lying next to it.

"Ah. Must be Dudley," Remus commented, picking up the animal. "I'll just put it in his room, shall I?" A grin tickled his lips as he struggled to hold the wriggling animal. "Behave, Dudley, or I might drop you." With that, the animal stilled, giving Remus as filthy a look as an iguana could muster.

The doorbell rang. "Remus, could you get that?" Molly called. "Mrs. Dursley's in no fit state for company, I suspect."

"Why not?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"I had a wee chat with her while I was getting the bowl and flannel for you, dear," Molly said with mock innocence.

"And. . .?" Harry asked, a smile tickling his mouth.

"Let's just say she's been in this condition before," the woman said smugly.

"You didn't! In her own kitchen?" he said, chuckling now as he pulled back and looked at her admiringly. "Mrs. Weasley, you're brilliant!"

"Thank you, dear. I'm glad you approve."

"As long as I'm not the one who has to clean it up," Harry said, still chuckling.

Remus entered the room with Healer Pomfrey close behind him. "Hello, Harry," Marcus Pomfrey said. "Scar on my sister's elbow is my password. Remus said you've had a bit of a setback. Ginny tried to explain what happened when she called me, but I was rather busy and didn't understand everything, I'm afraid. Remus filled me in on the way upstairs. So how are you feeling now?"

"I feel a bit green, actually," Harry replied. "My head is still just throbbing with every heartbeat."

"Have you tried healing yourself? Getting rid of the headache, any of that?" Marcus asked.

"I did at first, but my head was pounding so badly, I couldn't sense things properly to try to heal it, so I left it alone before I did some actual damage. I took my non-drowsy potion, but it doesn't seem to be helping much."

"That was wise," Marcus complimented him. "Mrs. Weasley, what have you done for him?"

"Mostly just cold compresses on his face and the back of his neck to help the nausea, and massaging his head just a little. I knew Ginny was going to call you, so I didn't want to give him anything else."

"Well done. Thank you," Marcus said approvingly. "All right then, young man, let's see what's going on with you." He examined Harry's eyes and the sites of his injuries visually, then with his wand, then with a clear quartz crystal. "You haven't damaged yourself, lad. It was the increase in your heart rate and blood pressure that caused the pain."

"I have high blood pressure?" Harry asked in shock.

"No, no, it's an adrenalin response to danger that's natural in the human body. In a wizard's body, it's a much greater response than it is in a Muggle's, because of the magic in our blood. And you have far more magic in your blood than anyone I know of, so when you became angry, you had massive amounts of magic pouring through your body, ready for you to use to protect yourself, attack an enemy, or whatever, but you held it in check, which compressed it even more. If you were completely healed, you'd be a bit tired, perhaps, but probably wouldn't have a headache. The skull fracture is just barely healed, and that's why you have so much pain - that area is still a bit swollen and delicate, so the pressure put on it by your anger caused you a great deal of pain. Having said that, fixing it is a simple thing. I'm going to give you some potion that will help with the pain, and then you need to rest for a while. No Apparating for a few days, and no Floo Network, either, just to be on the safe side."

"Oh no! I can't go back to work?" he moaned. "I just got started! It was going to be such fun!"

"Here, take this," Marcus said, handing him a brown flagon of potion. "Two large sips. And it's fine for you to work starting tomorrow if you can get there some other way."

Harry took his potion, then looked at him with renewed hope. "May I flash there? Or fly?"

"No flying. No Animagus transformations, either. Those all take too much magic for you right now. What's 'flashing'?"

"Holding on to my phoenix's tail and going with him when he disappears and reappears," Harry explained.

"I don't know anything about that. I have no idea how it would affect you," Marcus said.

"Why don't you try it yourself so you can see what it's like?" the boy suggested eagerly. "Then maybe you'll approve it for me."

"Before we go any farther with that, how are you feeling? Is the potion helping?"

"Yeah, it is. The throbbing is less, and I'm not feeling sick anymore," the boy said, obviously relieved.

"All right, then. This flashing thing. What do I do?" Marcus said, standing up and looking at the phoenix, who surveyed him regally.

"Merlin? Would you take Healer Pomfrey to Diagon Alley, and then bring him back?" Harry asked the beautiful bird. Merlin blinked, then stood up, looking at Marcus expectantly. "Just hold your hand out and grab his tail when he flies overhead," Harry instructed. "Don't worry, you can't let go once he starts to flash. It's a bit like a Portkey that way, but not as rough a ride."

Marcus nodded, looking from Harry to the bird with interest. "I've never done this before, Merlin," he said politely, "so I hope I don't hurt your tail when I hold it."

"You won't," Harry assured him. "Just hang on to him and when you get to Diagon Alley, you can let go. Walk around a bit, then call him and grab his tail again and you'll be back here."

Marcus took a nervous breath and blew it out. "All right. Let's go, Merlin!" He held his hand out and grasped the bird's tail as Merlin flew over his head, and the two disappeared in a flash of light.

"That was a good idea, Harry," Remus said, sitting down on the bed by his godson to wait for the healer's return. "This way, he'll know what kind of stress is involved in that kind of travel." He smiled down at his godson. "Molly, thanks so much for coming. It's good to know you Weasleys are looking after him when I'm not able to," he said, rubbing the boy's shoulder affectionately.

"It was my pleasure, Remus," Molly said, straightening up Harry's room a bit as she spoke. Between Petunia's and Harry's searches, the room was a shambles.

Remus looked at Harry, a bit of reproach in his eyes. "You should have sent me a message."

"I thought you were probably glad to get back to work yourself, after spending so much time with me. I imagine you're getting a bit tired of me by now," the boy said with a smile.

"No, not at all," Remus said. "It's a pleasure to spend time with you, lad." Harry grinned his appreciation.

With a flash, Merlin and Marcus reappeared.

"Have a good flight?" Harry asked cheekily.

"That was amazing!" Marcus said with excitement. "Just brilliant! There's no sensation of motion at all. You're here one moment, there the next, and there's no tug such as you feel with a Portkey, no dizziness, no stress. It will be fine for you to travel like that, Harry."

"Yes!" Harry responded, pumping his fist in the air. "Ow. Shouldn't have done that."

"Still having some pain?" Marcus asked, sitting on the side of his bed again.

"Just when I move suddenly. It's getting better."

"Good. You need a nap. You'll feel a lot better when you wake up," Marcus assured him.

"I was in a rage on Saturday, as well - my aunt again," Harry said by way of explanation, "but I didn't feel this sick from it. Why didn't I get sick like this then?"

"How long were you angry that day?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know - maybe five minutes or so before I started to calm down."

"How did you calm down so quickly?" Marcus said.

"Ginny, Ron and Hermione ran after me, and tried to talk me through it. Ron tried to pull the girls away - he could see I was about to blow up - but Ginny wiggled into my arms and wouldn't go away, and kept pestering me until I calmed down, finally," Harry answered. He heard her giggle from his ring. "Still there, are you?"

"I never left," she said. "I'm glad you're better."

"Me too. Thanks for the help," he told her sincerely.

Getting back on topic, Marcus said, "You were alone today when this happened. How long was it before you started calming down?"

"I don't know - what time is it?" He looked at his watch. "I was probably in a full-blown rage for, I don't know, half an hour at least, maybe longer, between being angry while Aunt Petunia was in here and trying to get over it, before Mrs. Weasley got here and helped me relax."

"Then that's probably the reason you feel worse today. It took you longer to calm down. Your anger at what happened is completely understandable. We just have to find a way to help you get over it more quickly when your temper does flare up."

"Get me out of here, then. Aunt Petunia sets me off just by existing these days," Harry replied glumly.

"I'm off to have a talk with Harry's aunt," Molly said, heading for the door as she spoke.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Once I turn her back into a human, we'll discuss the benefits of being human versus being a pile of cow manure for the rest of her natural life," Molly growled.

Her remark made Harry laugh. "I love to see a redhead angry, as long as it's not at me! Go, Mrs. Weasley!"

"Actually, I think a Memory Charm is in order," Marcus commented. "We can remove her fantasies about your dad, maybe make a few other adjustments as well. How's that?"

"That would be brilliant!" Harry replied eagerly.

"You rest, then, and we'll go take care of it," Marcus said. "Come on, Remus, we may need your input as well."

"Will you be all right here alone, Harry?" Remus asked, his face still worried.

"I'm not alone. I've got Merlin here, Ginny on my ring, and you lot downstairs. I couldn't be in better hands," his godson assured him.

"All right, then. Try to rest. We'll tell you everything when we come back up," Remus promised.

As the adults left his room, Ginny said, "Harry? Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, a bit. Thanks," he replied, smiling at her translucent face hovering above his ring.

"You look sleepy. Healer Pomfrey said you need a nap. Why don't you sleep for a while?" she suggested.

"I am tired," he said, stifling a yawn, "but I'd love to hear what goes on downstairs."

"Me, too, but I'm sure they'll tell us about it later. If I'm on here, you'll just talk to me instead of resting, so why don't I go and let you sleep for a while? Call me when you wake up, all right?"

"That's pr-pr-probably a good idea," he said, his jaw cracking as he yawned hugely, making both of them laugh. "Oops, sorry!" He smiled at her tenderly. "Love you, baby."

"I love you too. Sleep well," she said, and then her face disappeared from above his ring. Harry sighed contentedly, turned on his side, tucked his hand under his cheek, and was soon asleep, dreaming of the scent of strawberries and sunshine in Ginny's hair.